Building construction



Sept. 1, 1925.

1,552,394 J. P. COWING BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 18, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 1, 1925. 1,552,394

, J. P. COWING v BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed June 18, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JET/675E \jhzf Cowl/2g Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN I. COWING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FRANCIS OSHAUGHNESSY,

. TRUSTEE.

Application filed June 18, 1921. Serial No. 478,484.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that JOHN P. CowiNc, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, 'countyof Cook,

State ofIllinois, has invented an Improvement in Building Construction, of which-the following is a specification.

This invention relates to building construction, and more particularly to walls comprising structural units of stone, terra cotta or other material susceptible of being damaged by undue compression.

Among other objects, the invention is intended to supply a structural organization having provision for avoiding the effects of excessive compression stresses, such as are frequently manifested in buildings by the cracking or defacing of stone, terracotta or other building units. 'For instance,

blocks or tiles forming the exterior surfaces of buildings, and often having only moderate crushing strength, are sometimes found to be so stressed by compressive forces that corners of blocks or. tiles are spalled off, leaving'exposed mutilations, or whole faces of the blocks or tiles are broken away. Such effects as these are intended to be avoided by the use of the present inven-' tion. a

On illustrative structure containing an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the illustrative structure.

Fig. 2 is a front. elevation; and,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the section shown in Fig. 1. i

The structure selected for illustration comprises a main wall 5 of concrete or other material, and a. facing wall made up of courses of building units, for instance, terra cotta tiles. Such a structure, employing tiles designed for lightness and thus. presenting relatively fragile and vulnerable units in the structure, is one in which the Fig. 1 the tier of tiles 13, 14 and 15 is shown superposed upon the horizontal ledge or shelf of the angle bar 10; the tiles 16, 17 and 18 upon the angle barv 11; and the tile 19 represents the first course of another similar tier superposed upon the angle bar 12. Mortar 20 may be employed for bonding the elements of the casing wall wher desired. It hasbeen customary to bond together the several courses of. tiles and interposed angle bars by mortar applied between the courses and around the supporting shelves of the angle bars, thus forming a substantially solid wall with supporting shelves embedded therein. The mortar usually sets to a hardness and compression strength approximating or even exceeding the hardness and compression strength of Y the tiles. Hence a facing wall or analogous 5 structure, according to previous building practice, was to 'suchan extent rigid in a vertical direction that the occurrence of excessive compression stresses was likely to rupture or deface the tiles.

' For relieving such conditions, the facing wall of th illustrative structure is provided with one or. more horizontal joints adapted to permit relative play. between the zones of the wall above and below the joint and thus avoid transmission of undue compression stresses to the tiles. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the wall is divided into zones by the angle bars 10, 11 and 12, each furnishing a supporting means for the zone of the wall superposed thereon; and a pressure-relieving joint is interposed between each angle bar or shelf angle and the subjacent zone.

For this purpose a space or gap 21 is provided, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. In the specific construction shown, wherein the tiles over-hang the supporting shelf of the angle bar, the gap or space 21 extends under .said shelf and thence upwardly and in front of the edge of said shelf between the over-hanging edges 'of the tiles 15 and 16, which 'in this instance are shown formed with projections 22 and 23. The tile 15 above the angle bar'is shown resting upon a mortar. bed supported on the an le bar.' The'specific construction describe is not essential. i Y

With this construction, expansive-tenden- 4 cies in the wall, whether caused by temperano ture conditions or by flexing of the wall (as in the vibration of a tower), or by other causes, will be absorbed by contraction of the gaps or joints between the wall zones and thus avoid the transmission of compression stresses from zone to zone or in a zone sufficient to cause fracture or crushing and defacement of the tiles. The joints would likewise be contracted by any downward thrust of the supporting bars or shelves, as in event of contraction of the main supporting structure of a building. l

he space or gap 21 may be provided during the erection of the wall by mounting the angle bars slightly above the top of the subjacent tiers of tiles, or may be provided in an old wall of the ordinary solid type by gouging or cutting out the joint spaces un-' der the supporting shelves insuch existing walls. 4

The joint may if desired be protected from the weather in any suitable way, as for instance by closing up the front of the gap by a thin wall of. yieldable material which will not interfere substantially with the proper functioning of the joint.

In Fig. 1, additional tie-rods 24 are shown anchored in the main wall and to various units of the facing wall to tie them more securely to the main wall.

It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular details of the construction, operation and mode of operation described, because such details must necessarily be varied appropriately to the diiferent problems of construction encountered in actual building operations and to the different types of structure and materials to which the subject matter of the invention is desired to be applied.

The main wall 5 of the illustrative structuretypifies any main supporting structure or frame work of a building, to which a wall construction embodying the present invention is to be applied; and the facing wall 6 with its supports provided by the angle bars typifies any structure in which the invention may be embodied.

Having thus described my invention I claim: I I

1. A wall construction comprising a tier of structural units erected in zones; means for supporting the respective zones independently of each other, and open pressurerelieving joints between zones providing a separation between supporting means and a subjacent zone of the wall? 2. A wall construction comprising a tier of structuralxunits divided into independently supported zones; and supporting means for a zone of the wall; there being an unfilled space or gap between supporting means and a sub-jacent zone to allow for relative play or movement between said zones.

3. A wall construction comprising atier of structural elements divided into zones; means for independently supporting zones; and a pressure-relieving joint between supporting means and a subjacent zone.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN P. oowme. 

